


The Past

by BatmanWhoLaughss



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Episode: s01e10 Path of the Jedi, F/M, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatmanWhoLaughss/pseuds/BatmanWhoLaughss
Summary: Kanan's still a little off-center after hearing Master Yoda again.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Kudos: 30





	The Past

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking about Kanan probably feeling really weird about hearing Master Yoda again in Path of the Jedi and this lil baby fic was the result

Hera does her best not to pry when Kanan and Ezra get back. She has questions,  _ so many  _ questions, and they only grow in number when she sees the look on Kanan’s face as he stepped off the Phantom. They both seem…  _ different _ , somehow, like something’s connecting them in a way it wasn’t before. Hera doesn’t think it’s a bad thing; Kanan doesn’t seem upset, but she can sense that something’s going through his head. Something that he isn’t sharing with the rest of them. When she catches his eye he shakes his head.  _ Later, _ it means. So she fights the urge to bug him, instead focusing on Ezra’s bright smile as he shows her the small crystal resting in his palm. 

She can see the pride on Kanan’s face as he watches the kid, that small smile that he’s trying his best to hide. She knows he worries about Ezra almost as much as she does, and even now, hours later, she’s still relieved that today didn’t end differently. 

Hera’s pacing through the  _ Ghost _ when she pauses outside the bunks. There’s a light on in his room, and the door is cracked open, even though it’s the middle of the night cycle by now. Everyone else went to bed over an hour ago, even Ezra, as excited as he was. She sighs as the door opens the rest of the way, revealing Kanan sitting hunched over on his bunk. He’s still mostly clothed, though his blaster, belt and lightsaber are thrown over his sweater on the floor. The black T-shirt he’s wearing betrays the tension in his back. 

Hera sighs. So much for not being upset.

Wordlessly, she makes her way towards his bed, taking a seat next to him. He doesn’t look up as she approaches, just stays hunch over, his forearms resting on his thighs. Still saying nothing, she reaches for his hand, breathing a small sigh of relief when he doesn’t pull away. 

“You okay?” she finally asks. 

Kanan looks up at her, his brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be? Today was one of the rare good days.” 

It’s not the answer she expects; it’s not his usual  _ I’m fine _ . He seems like he’s being honest. “You look like you’re brooding,” she says after a moment. 

He grimaces. “I’m… thinking.” 

“About?”

He sighs. “Ezra. Me. The Jedi.” Then he grimaces again. “The past.” His voice is quieter at the end.

Hera squeezes his hand. “You both came back in one piece. And it won’t end the same way, this time.” 

“No, that’s not--” He sighs again. “Back in the temple, I heard… I heard Master  _ Yoda. _ He  _ spoke  _ to me.” He finally looks up at her then, a small smile on his face, and there’s so much  _ awe _ in his expression, like he can’t quite believe it himself. 

She’s only heard that name once, but from the look on his face, she knows this must be a big deal. “That’s… good, isn’t it?” She’s treading carefully, like she always does when he brings up his past, but he shakes his head. 

“I don’t know,” Kanan mumbles. “Those temples love to play tricks. But it was so  _ real _ . I could  _ feel  _ him, just like the old days. I don’t know if he’s alive, or one with the Force, or...” He trails off.

Hera doesn’t know what to say, but he continues before she can get a word in. “He asked me about Ezra, about my decision to train him. It’s just… making me think.”

This is a line of thinking she knows how to shut down. “You’re doing the right thing.” 

Kanan laughs. “Yoda said as much. Feels like the  _ Force _ is telling me that, but I’m still having trouble believing it myself.” 

_ Stubborn man _ , Hera thinks. As many times as she’s tried to tell him how worthy he is, how worthy he’s  _ always _ been, he’ll never believe it. 

But then he looks up at her, and that small smile is back on his face. “First time in a long time the past doesn’t hurt, though.” His voice is barely a whisper, like he doesn’t want anyone but her to hear it, and her heart can’t help but swell at the joy in his voice. And now she abandons all thoughts of chastising him, because she wants to keep that look on his face for as long as possible. She smiles back at him instead, reaching for his other hand and leaning over so her head is resting against his. 

“That’s a good thing, love. And even if it wasn’t Master Yoda you heard, you know this is the right path.” She can’t pretend to understand the Force like he does, but she has no doubt in her mind that he’s doing the right thing. That he won’t fail. 

Kanan chuckles, nodding his head. “I know,” he mumbles. “I just hope I can do what he asked of me.” 

“You can. You’ll do right by the kid, even if it seems impossible. You’ll find a way.”  _ You always do. _ __


End file.
